Cinder Saves Remnant
by Avetho
Summary: In which a pyromaniac snatches a witch's powers, an immortal learns a very important life lesson, a reincarnator dies alongside his wife, an overconfident seductress overestimates her power, and nobody in the world noticed a thing. (ONE SHOT)


ALTERNATE TITLE:  
_In which a pyromaniac snatches a witch's powers, an immortal learns a very important life lesson, a reincarnator dies alongside his wife, an overconfident seductress overestimates her power, and nobody in the world noticed a thing._

* * *

_**At Beacon Academy's Amphitheater...**_

"I wish you all good luck in your service to the people of Remnant, and may your skills and your teammates carry you securely through life." Ozpin spoke during the graduation ceremony.

Everyone present erupted into applause for the senior teams as Ozpin walked off the stage to head to his office in the CCT tower.

* * *

**_Meanwhile, in the Evernight Castle..._**

"Now Cinder, dear, using this Beetle in the glove will allow you to take back the magic within the Fall Maiden. You are to intercept her in Vale and immobilize her quickly before doing so, understand?" Salem explained.

"Yes Mistress." Cinder replied.

"Good, good. Now run along." Salem said.

Salem then turned around and missed the hungry look Cinder gave her. Just before Salem reached her throne, Cinder sprinted up behind her and used the glove on her, the Beetle Grimm burrowing into her back and a red Magic Aura flowing out and into Cinder.

"Your magic is mine, then!" Cinder yelled.

**"You fool!"** Salem yelled in return.

Salem doubled over onto her throne and gasped in agony as her soul was being drained of its power, retreating into her mind to consider the situation.

_"What is this feeling? Why does my soul hurt so much?"_ Salem asked herself in her mindscape.

Doubled over in what appears to be an infinite darkened grassy plains with giant purple crystals jutting out of the ground is a honey blonde haired woman with pale skin and ice blue eyes. She is wearing a black outfit consisting of a short sleeved black robe that pools past her feet as well as a black waist cape with a dark crimson interior.

_"Is this what death feels like?"_ Salem asked.

As this happened, her robes began to lighten towards grey in color, the crimson turning towards a purple color. A white light shone out from her chest, coalescing into both a ball of golden light and one of purple light. Both spheres of light seemed to almost nod at her before fading away into nothing.

_"Perhaps it would be time to call Ozma now."_ Salem concluded.

Salem closed her eyes as the shudders wracked her frame, focusing on her former beloved.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, in Beacon Academy...**_

"Ah. Another good year, completed." Ozpin said to the empty office.

Ozpin sat down behind his desk in the tower, turned on the screen at his desk and took a comfortable sip of hot cocoa from his mug. Just as he was about to relax and look over the early applicants for the next year, he jerked upright in his chair, startled. He gently placed his precious mug on his desk, turned the chair around to face the windows and sat back to retreat into his mindscape.

A man with small spectacles on his face, wearing a black suit over a green vest, green pants, black shoes and a green cowl around his neck woke up, sitting on the ground in an infinite green meadow. He has dark brown hair, tanned skin and brown eyes.

"It has certainly been quite a while since I last came here." Ozpin said to himself.

Ozpin then focused inwards on the feeling in his soul. Once he seemed to find it, he reached out to grab it.

* * *

A cliff face comes into view, the figures of Salem and Ozpin sitting atop it, watching over the infinite ocean ahead of them.

"Ozma. Hello again." Salem said in greeting.

"What would be the reason for your call, Salem?" Ozpin, or Ozma actually, replied tersely.

"It appears my end has come suddenly, darling." Salem said calmly.

"Truly? What brought this about, might I ask?" Ozma asked in surprise.

"I had given something too powerful to one of my inner circle. A Grimm Beetle capable of sapping magic from the soul of a target. I underestimated her thirst for power and was betrayed. She will soon find herself the target of every Grimm around the Evernight." Salem explained.

"Ah. Well, you certainly have always been a bit overconfident. Though, it is a somewhat endearing trait." Ozma laughed.

"Oh really? Well, I know what it feels like to die, then. Have you always felt the sensation of your soul being ripped from your body before?" Salem asked.

"Every time I reincarnate, I feel my next host tugging me towards them, so yes." Ozma replied.

"And this is what everyone feels when they die?" Salem asked sadly.

"I would believe so." Ozma replied.

"I think I understand what the Brothers meant, then, by understanding the importance of life and death." Salem concluded.

Ozma looked to his right to see tears running down Salem's cheeks. Giving a light sigh, he scooted over and brought his ex-wife into a hug, gently rubbing her right shoulder as she shook in his arms.

"I never knew what it meant to die. Nobody in that blasted tower taught me." Salem cried.

"For whatever it is worth, honey, I am sorry I never realized that." Ozma replied.

Salem broke down into sobs in Ozma's arms then, letting out thousands of years of emotions that never saw the light of day. Eventually the pair pulled apart and we see Ozma had begun to cry as well at some point, as evidenced by the long dry tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Well, I guess we have claimed the record for the longest marital spat in history." Salem joked.

"Usually they last months at the most, but I think calling it at close to an eon was a smart decision." Ozma snorted.

The two stared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter, the joyous sound reverberating out over the endless ocean. As they calmed down, they stared into each others' eyes lovingly and both slowly went in for a soft kiss, conveying their emotions to each other. They pulled apart after a long while and simply hugged each other close.

"Its been so long since I felt that." Salem said sleepily.

"It certainly has. Nobody else could make me feel that way." Ozma replied just as sleepily.

"I can feel myself slipping. Are you coming with me, darling?" Salem asked.

"Yes. Yes I am. Ozpin is going to be left behind sadly, along with the curse, but I am coming with you, honey." Ozma replied.

"Good. Tell him I am sorry, but hopefully your memories can guide him well." Salem said, her body just starting to break apart into red lights.

"He already knows. He is here with us, technically." Ozma replied, his own body breaking apart into green lights.

"I love you, Ozma." Salem said.

"I love you too, Salem." Ozma replied.

Both of them in that moment broke into red and green light, hugging each other tightly until the very end.

* * *

_**Back in Beacon Academy...**_

"Ozpin, did you take my Dust cartridge?" Glynda asked, storming into Ozpin's office.

She was about to repeat herself, but froze as she felt the presence of Ozpin's Aura flaring. Her eyes whipped up to stare at Ozpin's seat, turned around to face the window behind him, a green glow flaring outwards. She quickly walked up beside the chair to see Ozpin meditating, faint tear marks on his face and a calm, unguarded expression on his usually painstakingly neutral face. She sighed, took his mug from the table, found it cold, and went to heat up the hot cocoa to his preferred temperature once more. Just as she placed the mug back, Ozpin's Aura calmed down and he opened his eyes.

"What happened, Ozpin?" Glynda asked softly.

"He's gone. _She's_ gone, too. The impossible, according to Jinn, objective has been completed, and it was by complete accident as well." Ozpin replied quietly.

"You don't mean..." Glynda asked in shock.

"Yes. Both Ozma and Salem have passed on. The Grimm are no longer being led by her." Ozpin replied with a terse smile.

"But something else is wrong." Glynda inferred.

"The curse is still with me, but Ozma has fulfilled his own duty. Now it's my turn to fulfill my duty." Ozpin replied with a sigh.

* * *

_**Back in the Evernight Castle...**_

Salem finally collapsed, unmoving, over her throne, the red glow finished flowing into Cinder through the glove. Cinder stepped back in disbelief that she managed to take Salem's power.

"Haha. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHA! I DID IT! ITS MY POWER NOW!" Cinder yelled across the throne room.

Behind her, Salem's body began to disintegrate into a fine black dust, blowing away into the air much like Grimm do. Suddenly, a loud boom shook the entire castle, Cinder's maniacal laughter stopping. The doors burst open and Tyrian lunged at Cinder.

"False Goddess! DIE!" Tyrian screamed.

"It's you who will die!" Cinder yelled in return.

Cinder swept her hand forward, a red energy firing from her hand and impacting Tyrian, a purple sheen crackling across his body before seeming to shatter, his body splatting on the wall above the door before falling limp to the ground. Cinder stared at her hand and began to cackle madly, ignoring the threat presented by the Grimm all throughout the surrounding lands charging into the castle to take her down. Far away in Vale, a mountain near Mountain Glen burst apart and a giant Wyvern turned to head northwest. Near Argus, a giant Leviathan surged through the waters, making haste between Atlas and Vale to reach the castle to the far west.

For the next several hours, Cinder kept dodging and swinging her arms, sending giant blasts of red energy out at the Grimm surrounding her, black dust choking out the air all across the castle grounds. Her blasts began to weaken, Beringels now taking a couple hits before dying, as the Grimm backed her up nearer to the coastline up north. Suddenly, a large Wyvern roars above her and begins to drop hundreds more Grimm from its belly, dozens of Lancers and Nevermore also divebombing on Cinder's location. Cinder found herself losing power and losing ground, backing up closer to the shoreline the entire time. The numbers of Grimm began to thin out and Cinder let loose a smile, believing herself to be close to winning.

At that moment, the Leviathan burst out from the waters, startling Cinder as she whipped around and threw the last of the magic she could at it, exploding its head and killing it in one blow. Seeing her weakened state, the Wyvern dove down atop her and bit down, swallowing her in one bite. With her Semblance and the last flakes of her magic, Cinder cut herself out from the belly of the Wyvern, causing it to bleed out its ichor onto the ground. Cinder hissed in pain and looked down at her blood soaked torso, seeing a large hole that stopped healing after using up her Aura.

"Dammit! I was supposed to rule the world! I was supposed to have power!" Cinder shouted out at the world before descending into a coughing fit.

The Grimm began to walk towards her, intent on ending her life after enough suffering.

"What the hell. Instead of out with a bang its instead with a whimper. Screw that!" Cinder hissed to herself.

Cinder then began to scream and curse at the world, throwing the last puffs of her magic at the Grimm around her, her movements slowing down and finally her arms dropping to the ground, unmoving.

"Take that, Remnant." Cinder said at last, releasing her last breath with a scowl etched on her face.

* * *

_A/N: I imagine the Evernight Castle is roughly in the crook of the dragon's right wing when looking at the map of Remnant. In the main picture on the wiki page for the Evernight Castle, we can see the ocean spanning outwards from below the castle with those dark crystals inside it. From the looks of things, that bay has a coastline that curves in a fashion like the crook of the right wing. Not only this, but that area is far west from Atlas and behind a long mountain range that blocks it from Vacuo. More mountains also block the area from the small settlements on the southern shores of the continent._

_Cover artwork is the picture of Remnant used in the RWBY Wiki page for the planet of Remnant itself._


End file.
